Pentagon: Here are all
the problems with the
F-35
Jeremy Bender Mar. 20, 2015, 11:13 AM
76,189 39
The US military's fifth-generation fighter is
no stranger to controversy.
The F-35, which comes with an estimated
$1.5 trillion pricetag over the life of the
program, has faced numerous hurdles and
delays. Most recently, there have been
concerns over its computer systems'
vulnerability, and Chinese hackers have
possibly stolen classified data related to the
project.
The F-35's construction has continued, and
it is being manufactured across multiple
states and different countries. For better or
worse, it's going to be the US and its allies'
main warplane for decades to come.
Despite the setbacks, the F-35 program is
continuing and the Navy, Marines, and Air
Force are all busy testing their version of
the aircraft. But just because the military is
sticking to the F-35 doesn't mean it isn't
acutely aware of the plane's myriad
problems.
During the live flight testings in 2014, the
Department of Defense's Office of the
Director, Operational Test and Evaluation
compiled a report on the progress and
failures of the F-35 program.
Here are some of the key problems that the
Pentagon identified.
Software delays
The Pentagon discovered deficiencies in the
plane's Block 2B software system. Block 2B
oversees the plane's initial warfare
capabilities, like its various data links and
live-weapon firing system. The worst
deficiencies were found in the Block 2B's
navigation and accuracy software aspects.
These software problems slowed weapons
integration and flight-testing, and with it
the entire aircraft's development.
Block 2B also encountered issues with
weapon delivery accuracy. The software
still had trouble in the use of radar, passive
sensors, friend-or-foe identification, and
electro-optical targeting.
The 2BS5 software package, which deals
with sensors, also continues to run into
difficulties. According to the report, "fusion
of information from own-ship sensors, as
well as fusion of information from off-
board sensors is still deficient. The
Distributed Aperture System continues to
exhibit high false-alarm rates and false
target tracks, and poor stability
performance, even in later versions of
software."
F-35B fuel tank redesign
The F-35B was given a redesigned fuel tank
ullage inerting system for the fuel systems
simulator - in English, this is the part of the
plane that prevents potentially explosive
interactions of oxygen and gasses in the
aicraft's fuel tanks and intake. Further tests
showed that the redesigned system had
problems in aircraft integration that would
require further hardware and software
modifications.
Lightning protection
The F-35B did not maintain "residual
inerting after flight for the required
interval of 12 hours, which is a lightning
protection requirement." In other words,
the plane would be vulnerable to lightning
strike if it were forced to fly twice in a 12-
hour span, unless the fuel tanks were
frequently "purged" with "external
nitrogen."
That's apparently an unacceptable
additional layer of maintenance. If a
solution is not found, F-35Bs will require
the development of alternate lightning
protection methods.
Flight control problems
The F-35B encountered difficulties carrying
out attacks at certain angles during intense
aerial conditions due to a degradation in
the flight control system as missions
progressed.
Helmet display issues
Onboard testing on the F-35C revealed
problems with the helmet, which is
designed to display critical information
related to the aircraft.
During basic offensive and defensive
maneuvers, the conditions negatively
effected the display, a problem that could
have "the greatest impact in scenarios
where a pilot was maneuvering to defeat a
missile shot."
Numerous components of the aircraft
are unreliable
The F-35 has a number of components that
require maintenance more frequently than
desired.
According to the Pentagon report, all
variants have reliability issues with their
avionics processors, landing gear tires,
thermal management systems, ejection seat
assemblies, cockpit display electronics unit,
helmet display units, seat survival kits,
igniter-spark in the turbine engines, and on-
board oxygen generating systems.
The unreliability of these systems increases
maintenance time and costs on an already
expensive plane.
The Automatic Logistics Information
System (ALIS)
ALIS is the IT backbone of the F-35. The
software monitors all operations within the
aircraft and provides information to pilots
and ground personnel about any issues
arising within the plane.
According to the report, "ALIS is behind
schedule, has several capabilities delayed or
deferred to later builds, and has been
fielded with deficiencies." Some of these
deficiencies include misrepresenting the
health of F-35 aircraft. The system, which is
brought on board the F-35 in flight, has also
gone beyond the approved size, bulk, and
weight.
